Ian Roberts, the superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools and a respected figure in education circles, has resigned amid a rapidly unfolding immigration controversy that has captivated Iowa and drawn national scrutiny. Roberts’ abrupt departure on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, follows his detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents last week and mounting pressure from state and federal authorities, as well as the local school board.
Roberts, 54, a native of Guyana and former Olympic runner, was taken into custody on Friday, September 26, 2025. ICE officials allege that he has been living and working in the United States illegally, with a final order of removal issued by an immigration judge in May 2024 and no valid work authorization. According to ABC News, at the time of his arrest, Roberts was found in possession of a loaded handgun and $3,000 in cash, an incident now under separate federal investigation regarding how he obtained the firearm.
The fallout from Roberts’ detention was swift and multifaceted. The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners revoked his administrator license on Monday, September 29, 2025, and the Des Moines School Board convened an emergency meeting that same evening. In a unanimous vote, the board placed Roberts on unpaid administrative leave and set a deadline for his attorney to provide proof of his legal work status or face termination. By Tuesday, Roberts, through his attorney Alfredo Parrish, submitted his immediate resignation in a letter to the board, stating, “Out of concern for his 30,000 students, Dr. Roberts does not want to distract the Board, educators, and staff from focusing on educating DMPS’s students.”
The resignation was accepted without dissent. Board chair Jackie Norris, reading from a prepared statement, reflected the somber mood: “It is a sad and troubling end for an individual who gave many people, especially our students, hope.”
Roberts’ legal team has moved quickly in response to the crisis. Parrish filed a motion in immigration court in Omaha, Nebraska, to stay the order of removal and announced plans to file a motion to reopen Roberts’ immigration case. “This is a very complex case,” Parrish told reporters, emphasizing the many legal and factual issues at play. He urged patience, saying, “It’s complex, it’s difficult and there are a lot of what I would call a myriad of issues that are involved.”
Adding to the confusion, Parrish presented a letter purportedly from Roberts’ previous attorney in Texas, dated March 2025, stating that Roberts’ immigration case “has reached a successful resolution” and was closed. However, this letter did not include specific details about the alleged resolution, and federal authorities have maintained that Roberts is subject to removal.
According to the Associated Press, Roberts joined Des Moines Public Schools in July 2023, bringing with him two decades of leadership experience in school districts across the United States. Prior to his Iowa post, he served as superintendent of Millcreek Township School District in Pennsylvania from August 2020 through June 2023, where he completed FBI background checks and I-9 work eligibility forms. The Millcreek district stated it “never received any information or notification regarding the expiration of Dr. Roberts’ work authorization” and called reports of his detention “deeply concerning.”
The Des Moines School Board, for its part, said it was unaware of Roberts’ immigration issues at the time of his hiring. “I want to be clear, at no point was any DMPS employee or board member notified that Dr. Roberts was not eligible to work by a federal agency or Dr. Roberts,” Norris told ABC News. Roberts reportedly signed a form attesting he was a U.S. citizen and provided a Social Security card and driver’s license as documentation. The law firm hired to review his background did not raise any concerns about his eligibility. The background check firm later clarified to ABC News that it was “not contracted to perform I-9 or work eligibility verification,” placing that responsibility squarely on the district.
Additional questions have surfaced around Roberts’ documentation. According to the Associated Press, when stopped for traffic violations in Iowa in 2023 and 2024, Roberts presented Maryland driver’s licenses with different addresses. He has been registered to vote at one of those addresses since at least 2017, though Maryland election officials said there is no record of him actually voting and that his registration may have been unintentional. A Maryland Department of Transportation spokesperson confirmed Roberts held a state license from 2001 to 2024, when it was exchanged for a New York license.
The situation has triggered a broader reckoning in Iowa. U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, who represents the Des Moines area, announced a state-level investigation into Roberts’ hiring and called for stronger safeguards to ensure public trust positions are filled by properly vetted individuals. “Local leaders owe parents an explanation, and we need stronger safeguards to ensure that positions of public trust are filled by individuals who are properly vetted and legally authorized to serve,” Nunn stated.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has opened a separate investigation into Des Moines Public Schools’ employment practices. According to a Justice Department release, the probe will examine whether the district engaged in racial discrimination by favoring non-white applicants as part of efforts to increase teacher diversity. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said, “DEI initiatives and race-based hiring preferences in our schools violate federal anti-discrimination laws and undermine educational priorities.” The district responded that it is cooperating fully with state and federal authorities and that all questions regarding Roberts’ immigration status should be referred to the Department of Homeland Security or ICE.
The controversy has also sparked a groundswell of support for Roberts and a backlash against ICE’s immigration enforcement. On Tuesday, hundreds of high school students in Des Moines staged walkouts to protest Roberts’ arrest and what they see as an overly aggressive crackdown on undocumented immigrants. Roberts’ attorney described him as a “tremendous advocate to this community” and thanked the public for their support, noting that Roberts “is in good spirits” despite being held at Woodbury County Jail in Sioux City, Iowa, about 150 miles northwest of Des Moines.
The case has exposed gaps in how public institutions verify employment eligibility and has prompted soul-searching about diversity, equity, and due process in American education. As the legal battles continue, the Des Moines school district faces the challenge of moving forward and restoring stability for its 30,000 students and staff. “Our district is more than one person,” said school board vice chair Skylar Mayberry-Mayes, signaling a determination to focus on the future while cooperating with ongoing investigations.
For now, Ian Roberts’ legacy remains a subject of debate—marked by his contributions to students and marred by unresolved questions about immigration, documentation, and oversight at the highest levels of public education.
